KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A former Western Michigan University basketball player has been sentenced for his role in a robbery that led to the fatal shooting of another student.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that 21-year-old Joeviair Kennedy was ordered Monday to spend at least 17 years in prison.

Kennedy was convicted last month of armed robbery and using a firearm during a felony. But he was acquitted of murder in the 2016 slaying of 19-year-old Jacob Jones in an off-campus apartment.

Former Broncos player Joeviair Kennedy, left, has been sentenced to at least 17 years in prison for his role in a robbery that ended with the death of a Western Michigan student. Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Kennedy's co-defendant and former Muskegon High School teammate, Jordan Waire, was convicted in May of murder and armed robbery. He's been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Witnesses said Waire and Kennedy burst into Jones' apartment demanding money and marijuana. Kennedy was on Western Michigan's basketball team when he was arrested.